Say not good enough that producer screens movie for their advocate alone

The parents of murdered teenager Aarushi Talwar on Monday insisted before the Bombay High Court that they should be allowed to view the movie "Rahasya", whose release they have opposed.

Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, who have been convicted in November last year and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of their daughter, have opposed the release of movie saying it is based on "a distortion of facts surrounding the gruesome murder of their daughter Aarushi and portrays the petitioners and their daughter in a bad light and casts a slur on their reputation."

Last week, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which cleared "Rahasya" with a U/A certificate in January, told the court that the movie was not based on the Aarushi murder. The court then asked the producer-director Manish Gupta whether he would allow a screening for a member of the family.

On Monday, Atul Damle, counsel for the Gupta, informed the court that he was prepared to arrange a special screening for the Talwars' advocate. He, however, pleaded that the advocate should not reveal the details of the film.

"Already the CBFC's affidavit has given the detailed storyline, revealing the suspense. We want an assurance from the lawyer, who would view the movie, that he or she would not disclose the details of the movie," Damle said.

But the Talwars' lawyer Anushak Davar argued that a family member should be allowed to view the movie. "The family member will give an assurance that he or she will not leak the details of the movie," the lawyer said.

A division bench of judges VM Kanade and AK Menon observed that the matter could be sorted out through one screening and asked Damle to take instructions from the producer-director on this. The court adjourned the matter till March 13.

Fourteen-year-old Aarushi was found murdered along with the family's servant Hemraj at their house at Noida in May 2008. Rajesh and Nupur, who are undergoing their sentence at Dasna jail in Ghaziabad, have appealed against their conviction and sentence in the Allahabad High Court.